CENN, with financial support from the US Forest Service (USFS), launches a new initiative: Watersheds, Forest Management, and DRR in Georgia, which aims to improve skills in watershed management and climate change issues.
Georgia’s forests are severely degraded due to anthropogenic pressures and unsustainable resource extraction practices and require coordinated efforts to improve forest management, climate change adaptation and mitigation. Every year, Georgia suffers significant damage from natural disasters. Degradation of river basins caused by overuse of forests is expected to further increase the risks of extreme climatic phenomena (floods, landslides, mudslides, droughts, hail and wildfires) in terms of frequency, intensity and geographical distribution in the face of climate change.
About the initiative
In order to adapt to climate change, it is important to develop the capabilities of integrated management of catchment basins and to share international experience in this direction. The “Watersheds, Forest Management, and DRR in Georgia” initiative envisages increasing the capabilities of the employees of the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture of Georgia, regional services through trainings and practical field studies on such topical topics as:
- Sustainable management of watersheds
- Climate change
- Management of natural disasters
- Forest restoration works
- Management of protected areas
- Other environmental trainings that will be identified as a result of the needs research
Initiative efforts will be directed towards regional employees of the Ministry, who have to directly participate in field work.